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How Courts Deliver Justice During a Pandemic Webinar
I will be the moderator for an online webinar sponsored by the National Child Support Enforcement Association webinar this coming Tuesday, June 16, 2020.
The announcement says: "Our esteemed panel of court leaders will discuss innovative ways that local, tribal, and/or state courts adapt to provide essential court services during this pandemic. Many of us will relate to their individual, organizational and legal challenges, successes, lessons learned, and perseverance. Despite the challenges for courts, its also an exciting time to capitalize on opportunities for growth and changes that may continue well beyond this time. This web-talk recognizes the work being done and honors every court employee who persists to provide justice during this pandemic and beyond."
Speakers:
- Zenell Brown – Court Administrator, Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan
- Honorable Rachelle Carnesale – Superior Court Fulton County (GA)
- Honorable Marsha Harlan – Legal Advocates for Indian Country, LLP & President NTCSA (National Tribal Child Support Association) Patrick Hest – Assistant Director, Human Services Legal Division, Ramsey County Attorney’s Office (MN)
- Jeff Ploense – Court Administrator, St. Joseph’s County (IN)
Moderator - James McMillan – Principal Court Technology Consultant for National Center for State Courts
Court Leader Podcast - How are Courts Coping with the Crisis? - June 4, 2020
Our friends at Court Leader posted a new podcast on June 4th that discusses virtual hearings and racial injustice issues.
Arizona ODR Orders
A newly released Administrative Orders has been posted to the Arizona Supreme Court administrative orders web page. Please click on the link below for access.
- Establishing Procedures for Online Dispute Resolution During a Public Health Emergency - PDF -06/03/2020
- Authorizing Modification of Sentencing Procedure During a Public Health Emergency - PDF - 06/03/2020
- Authorizing a Licensed Legal Advocate Pilot Program for Domestic Violence Cases and Related Matters - PDF - 06/03/2020
Historic Completion of a Judge-Alone Trial for Murder by Electronic Means
The Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago provided the following media release on May 26, 2020:
"The Criminal Division of the High Court today completed another historic first with a Judge Alone
Trial for the charge of murder conducted primarily through electronic means. The case was
conducted in the main through the use of video conferencing facilities, electronic filings, evidence
and submissions, with only two of the fourteen witnesses being accommodated in person
although it had been decided that only one witness was required to give evidence in person.
The Judge-Alone Trial in the matter of CR. 105/2015 The State v Quincy Martinez aka “Bookie”,
was presided over by the Honourable Mme. Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds, using the guidance of the Practice Direction issued by the Honourable Chief Justice on March 16, 2020. The Practice
Direction encouraged the use of electronic and technological solutions for all hearings. The trial,
which commenced on Friday 15th May 2020 was concluded on Tuesday 19th May 2020. The
Judge after deliberation, gave her decision today, with Mr. Martinez being found “not guilty” and discharged after 12 years on remand.
In her decision, Mme. Justice Ramsumair-Hinds remarked that the Practice Directions “merely
pierce the veil to allow a peek at the efficiency of the machinery that drives the vision and mission
of this Judiciary” and that “virtual hearings provided for improved service delivery and continued
access to justice in spite of the general stay-at-home regulations and COVID-19 best practices.”
The Judge also highlighted:
“For some, the view has been that the use of electronic means in the Criminal Division should
be limited to case management, remand adjournments, and bail, steering quite clear of the
the main event of the criminal trial. That thinking has slowly been replaced by an appreciation
that the use of electronic means has great potential to mitigate several hindrances to the trial
process...”
US Federal Courts Jury Trial Restarting Report
"A comprehensive new report on conducting federal jury trials and convening grand juries during the pandemic details the number of factors for courts to consider, from changes to prospective juror questionnaires to creating safe spaces for jurors to deliberate safely.
“Jury trials are the bedrock of our justice system, expressly provided for in the Constitution and in the Sixth and Seventh Amendments,” the report says. “When each court determines that the time is right, the judiciary must reconstitute jury trials during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The newly released 16-page report was written by a group of federal trial judges, court executives, and representatives from the federal defender community and the Department of Justice as part of the work of the COVID-19 Judiciary Task Force...."
Also, the report resulting in some objections that were summarized in a National Law Journal article that is available here (subscription required).
A “New Possible” for Justice after COVID-19: Towards Digital, Open and Inclusive Courts
"The current crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, not only a health crisis, but a socio-economic one, pose tremendous threats to our lives and communities, yet at the same time opens up avenues to imagine and test on the ground “a new possible”. This happens also in the area of justice. Since March 2020, the enforcement of lockdowns has affected also the justice sector, disrupting the routine daily operations of the courts..."
"In ASEAN, Singapore State Courts were among the first to get organized providing online services and guidance to court users, as well as the Philippines Supreme Court.
Overall, it is evident that the challenges are still many. Therefore, now more than ever is the time for leaders of the justice systems to reach out to each other across borders to share experiences, good practices and capacity, and to collaborate on innovation. To facilitate this exchange, UNDP’s Judicial Integrity Network in ASEAN, supported by the US and UK Governments, is organizing a series of webinars to support courts in fostering innovation, discussing challenges and presenting possible solutions.
The first of the webinars, “Justice in times of COVID-19” will be held on 28 May at 10 am ICT and will feature a keynote speech by Hon. Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice of Singapore. Other speakers include Hon. Azahar Mohamed, Chief Judge of Malaya, Hon. Judge Andriani Nurdin Vice President of the High Court of Jakarta and Hon. Midas Marquez, Court Administrator of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The discussion will be moderated by Hon. Justice Tilakawardane, Acting Chief Justice and Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (retd.)"
Specialized displays - Windows 10 Patch Release 2004
An article from thewincentral.com noted... Microsoft included a useful feature for our court friends in the most recent update called Specialized Display. who in many instances need to feed/share information on display screens. Think, courtroom schedules both for the courthouse and individual courtrooms.
With this update, devices running Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Pro for Workstations with multiple displays can be configured to prevent Windows from using a display, making it available for a specialized purpose.
Examples include:
- Medical imaging devices with custom panels, such as grayscale X-ray displays
- Video walls like those displayed in Microsoft Store (and courts ed. note)
- Dedicated video monitoring
To prevent Windows from using a display, choose Settings > Display and click Advanced display settings. Select a display to view or change, and then set the Remove display from desktop setting to On. The display will now be available for specialized use.
Handy!
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